DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Travel to UIC on Wednesday
8/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
DePaul (1-1-0) at Illinois-Chicago (1-0-0)
Wednesday, Aug. 30 - 7 p.m.
Flames Field - Chicago, Ill.
Weekly Notes | UIC Live Stats | Loyola-Chicago Match Highlights
CHICAGO - Over the next two weeks, the DePaul men’s soccer team plays five road matches beginning with the short trip down Halsted Ave. for a Wednesday night at Illinois-Chicago. Following the mid-week match, the Blue Demons head to Cincinnati for a pair of games against Xavier and Marshall in the Marriott Kingsgate Xavier Challenge at the XU Soccer Complex. DePaul head coach Craig Blazer returns to his alma mater this weekend after playing four seasons for the Musketeers from 1987-91.
Looking at the Blue Demons: The 2006 season is the 25th in DePaul men’s soccer history... in his sixth season, head coach Craig Blazer returns 16 players and seven starters from a year ago... DePaul is scheduled to play 18 regular-season matches with nine games at Wish Field in 2006... Jeff DeGroot is the top returning scorer with six points on three goals in 2005... Julian Chill led the team with four assists last season while Brian Visser totaled 67 saves and three shutouts in his freshman campaign... Alex Magan has scored both goals this season for the Blue Demons... his two-goal effort against Loyola-Chicago was the first DePaul multi-goal game since Patrick Vyncke’s two scores against Evansville on Sept. 17, 2004 in the Dayton Marriott Flyer Classic (31 matches)... the Blue Demons are 17-10-5 in the last four-plus seasons in matches at Wish Field... 17 student-athletes on the 24-player roster are either sophomores or freshmen... in the season-opener at Valparaiso, nine of the 11 starters were either freshman or sophomores... DePaul has lost 21 consecutive road matches since a 2-0 victory at UW-Green Bay on Oct. 15, 2003... the Blue Demons played in five overtime matches (0-3-2) in 2005 and eight games were decided by one goal (3-5).
Noting UIC: The Flames opened the 2006 season with a 1-0 win at No. 25 Saint Louis on Saturday... the Flames return their top five scorers from a year ago, led by Pavle Dundjer with 22 points on seven goals and eight assists in 2005... UIC finished the 2005 season with an overall record of 10-5-2 and 4-2-1 Horizon League mark... head coach John Trask is in his second season leading the Flames... Wednesday’s match will be the first night game in UIC history... UIC was picked to finish third, just three points behind favorite Detroit, in the preseason Horizon League coaches poll.
DePaul at Marriott Kingsgate Xavier Challenge
XU Soccer Complex - Cincinnati, Ohio
Friday, Sept. 1 at Xavier - 7 p.m. EST
Sunday, Sept. 3 vs. Marshall - Noon EST
Xavier Live Stats
Checking Out the Challengers: Xavier - The Musketeers enter the weekend at 0-1-0 after a 2-1 overtime loss against Cincinnati... Xavier welcomes back 17 letterwinner and six starters from last season’s 4-10-5 squad... the team also posted a 3-3-3 record in Atlantic 10 action to place eighth... Jon Enders is the top returning scorer after finishing 2005 with nine points on four goals and an assist... head coach Dave Schureck is in his second season at Xavier. Marshall - Sunday’s opponent, Marshall, enters the tourney at 1-1-0... the Thundering Herd split a pair of matches last weekend, knocking off Manhattan and losing at Louisville... head coach Bob Gray is in his 12th season at Marshall and returns seven starters and 17 players from last season’s 8-9-2 squad... Marshall finished in a tie for fourth in Conference USA with a 4-3-2 league record... Osric Flores is the top returning scorer after finishing last season with five goals and an assist for 11 points.
Previously: Loyola-Chicago (Aug. 27) - Freshman Alex Mangan scored two goals to erase a 1-0 deficit for a 2-1 win over the Ramblers. Following a Rambler goal in the ninth minute, Julian Chill’s serve from the right sideline found a wide-open Mangan with a header at 10:38. Midway through the second half, Mangan headed home another goal off a midfield free kick from John Partyka at 65:02. Valparaiso (Aug. 25) - DePaul opened the 2006 season with a 2-0 loss at Valparaiso. The Blue Demons outshot the Crusaders, 18-9, but couldn’t find the net as the home team scored a goal in each half.
Looking Forward: Following this week’s action, DePaul closes the five-game road swing with a pair of BIG EAST matches. The Blue Demons head to Milwaukee on Sept. 8 for a Friday night match at Marquette followed by a Sunday afternoon game at Notre Dame on Sept. 10. DePaul returns to Wish Field the weekend of Sept. 15 for conference matches against Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
Preseason Picks: In the annual preseason BIG EAST coaches poll and all-conference teams, the Blue Demons were picked to finish eighth in the Red Division. USF edged St. John’s in the Red Division as the favorite while Connecticut narrowly topped Notre Dame as the Blue Division preseason pick.
2006 BIG EAST Championship: The semifinals and championship of the 2006 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship will take place in Piscataway, N.J. on the campus of Rutgers. The first round and quarterfinals matches will be hosted by the higher-seeded team beginning on Oct. 24. The champion receives the league’s automatic bid to the 48-team NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship. College Sports Television (CSTV) is set to air both semifinal matches with the championship game broadcast live on select BIG EAST regional outlets.